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Nick Nelson

The Week Ahead

Week Ahead: Premium Quality

Last week was not a great one for two-start pitchers. Most teams launched their top starters during the weekend coming out of the break, leaving a bunch of No. 4 and 5 starters (and question marks) in the two-start slots on Monday and Tuesday.

This week is a very different story. Not only do we find a large crop of high-end starters (especially on the National League side) but there are quite a few sleepers with favorable match-ups, several of whom could very well be available in your league.

Without wasting any more time, let's dive right in and look at a few...

* His name is swirling in trade rumors, but if he stays put Ian Kennedy will start twice in the friendly confines of Petco Park. He's 3-0 with a 2.53 ERA in the month of July.

* Jorge De La Rosa is on a heck of a roll, with a 1.78 ERA in four starts this month. In his last turn he struck out 11 and walked none. He is scheduled to go twice away from Coors.

* Marcus Stroman has been quality in nine of his 11 starts since joining the Jays rotation, with a 2.21 ERA and plenty of strikeouts, but he's unowned in 70 percent of Yahoo! leagues and 85 percent of ESPN leagues. Let him rip against the Red Sox and Astros.

* The Braves are facing the Padres on consecutive weekends, so Ervin Santana has the fortune of facing baseball's worst offense not once, but twice this week. You might not find a better pair of match-ups in the same week all year.

* I've been pushing Jake Odorizzi hard and will continue to do so. He's been one of the game's best strikeout pitchers and has a 2.73 ERA at home, where he's slated for two starts. He remains available in a shockingly high number of leagues.

The following pitchers are generally available in over 50 percent of fantasy leagues and have favorable match-ups this week:

American League

Wednesday, 7/30: Danny Duffy vs. MINOwned in only 37 percent of Yahoo! leagues despite a 2.47 ERA, Duffy makes a great match-up play at home against the light-hitting Twins. He has allowed two or fewer runs in seven of his last eight starts.

Thursday, 7/31: Josh Tomlin vs. SEATomlin's results haven't been great lately, but a 25-to-1 K/BB ratio over his past four starts bodes very well.

Thursday, 7/31: Drew Smyly vs. CWSThe lefty has been solid with a 3.80 ERA for Detroit, and should handle a mediocre Sox offense at home.

National League

Tuesday, 7/29: Dillon Gee vs. PHIOne of the most underrated starters in fantasy, Gee has shined this year with a 3.49 ERA and 1.09 WHIP but he's unowned in about 70 percent of all leagues.

Last week was not a great one for two-start pitchers. Most teams launched their top starters during the weekend coming out of the break, leaving a bunch of No. 4 and 5 starters (and question marks) in the two-start slots on Monday and Tuesday.

This week is a very different story. Not only do we find a large crop of high-end starters (especially on the National League side) but there are quite a few sleepers with favorable match-ups, several of whom could very well be available in your league.

Without wasting any more time, let's dive right in and look at a few...

* His name is swirling in trade rumors, but if he stays put Ian Kennedy will start twice in the friendly confines of Petco Park. He's 3-0 with a 2.53 ERA in the month of July.

* Jorge De La Rosa is on a heck of a roll, with a 1.78 ERA in four starts this month. In his last turn he struck out 11 and walked none. He is scheduled to go twice away from Coors.

* Marcus Stroman has been quality in nine of his 11 starts since joining the Jays rotation, with a 2.21 ERA and plenty of strikeouts, but he's unowned in 70 percent of Yahoo! leagues and 85 percent of ESPN leagues. Let him rip against the Red Sox and Astros.

* The Braves are facing the Padres on consecutive weekends, so Ervin Santana has the fortune of facing baseball's worst offense not once, but twice this week. You might not find a better pair of match-ups in the same week all year.

* I've been pushing Jake Odorizzi hard and will continue to do so. He's been one of the game's best strikeout pitchers and has a 2.73 ERA at home, where he's slated for two starts. He remains available in a shockingly high number of leagues.

The following pitchers are generally available in over 50 percent of fantasy leagues and have favorable match-ups this week:

American League

Wednesday, 7/30: Danny Duffy vs. MINOwned in only 37 percent of Yahoo! leagues despite a 2.47 ERA, Duffy makes a great match-up play at home against the light-hitting Twins. He has allowed two or fewer runs in seven of his last eight starts.

Thursday, 7/31: Josh Tomlin vs. SEATomlin's results haven't been great lately, but a 25-to-1 K/BB ratio over his past four starts bodes very well.

Thursday, 7/31: Drew Smyly vs. CWSThe lefty has been solid with a 3.80 ERA for Detroit, and should handle a mediocre Sox offense at home.

National League

Tuesday, 7/29: Dillon Gee vs. PHIOne of the most underrated starters in fantasy, Gee has shined this year with a 3.49 ERA and 1.09 WHIP but he's unowned in about 70 percent of all leagues.